This is an 1899-O Morgan that is graded MS-65 by ACG(???) The die crack starts at the "O' in "One" and continues CW through the top of "UNITED", through the right wing and ends between 2 denticles between the S and T in "STATES". There's also a smaller die crack that runs through the top of "STAT". In addition, there's a smaller die crack that runs entirely through "AMERICA" and ends at the star after "AMERICA" and finally, a die crack that runs through "DOLLA". I can't get better pics, sorry, but is this common for this year and mintage? Oh, and by the way, are die cracks considered VAM coins? I don't really collect Morgans but have purchased a few over the years. One more thing, just looked at the obverse and there's a die crack from the base of the bust through "189" There's also some weird die marks under her ear...I'll try to get pics of those. Sorry for the long story but this is pretty exciting for me! I wish I had a better camera
Technically all Morgan dollars are Vam coins. Vam numbers are designated for several die varieties of all years of Morgan dollars. You can find out which Vam# your coin is at vamworld.com. Surprisingly some of the morgans with major die cracks aren't that rare, but they are cool.
I can't tell much from your photos, but ACG is one of the third-world services that overgrades and encapsulates problem coins, so your "65" might not be any better than 63 if it is problem-free. Yes, all Morgan dollars are VAM's, and ordinarily VAM-1 for each year/mm is a normal coin. The die cracks on your coin are common for all years and mintmarks. These cartwheels are struck with 150 tons per square inch, and die failure was a fact of life. As a rule, a die crack would have to be pretty severe and show indications of metal displacement viewable with the naked eye for it to warrant attribution. More often than not, a die crack is useful for determining die state. Chris
